


Breathless, I Await Your Reply

by daphnerunning



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Epistolary, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other, Slow Burn, intentionally dramatic pining, like 8000 years of slow burn, passive-aggressive archivist notes, romance novel excerpts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29518608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daphnerunning/pseuds/daphnerunning
Summary: "Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while." (The Princess Bride)From letters to memos, from scribbled verses on the backs of recipes to enthusiastic essays and self-insert romance novels, from the shores of Lindon to the beaches of Aman, the story of three elves through the Ages of Arda comes together.
Relationships: Celebrían/Elrond Peredhel, Celebrían/Elrond Peredhel/Ereinion Gil-galad, Elrond Peredhel/Ereinion Gil-galad
Comments: 34
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this charming little thing kicking around for a while (months) and decided to start posting it, even if I'm not sure how fast I'll be able to work on it. Epistolary novels are just so much fun for Tolkien stuff...

**_A letter, from Elrond, Herald of Lindon, to Elros Tar-Minyatur, King of Númenor:_ **

_My dearest brother,_

_If the sun and the sea have not conspired against me to change the calendar again, this will arrive upon our Begetting Day. The thought of you opening it pleases me._

_Construction on the new palace has begun in earnest. The old one was never meant to stand so long, and indeed, our kinsmen from the east have sent several of their craftsmen to assist us. I did not go so far as to insist that you had a room, though I content myself with knowing you would enjoy the chambers I had made for myself. It is a fair place, though the older I grow, the more I weary of stone and metal, and the more I long for a place along the water, where stream and leaf bow gently together._

_My King sends his regards, I am certain, though I do not ask. I suppose I am afraid he will call me fool, and it is him, above all others, that I would please._

_You, who know my heart best of all, will not mock me for saying so. For you know of his kindness and wisdom, and his shrewd eye, and his giving hand. Was it not so when we were barely out of boyhood, come newly from the Taur-im-Duinath? Hardly better than feral children, for all that They did their best._

_(Speaking of Them, I heard a strange rumor of a stretch of land in the North of Forlindon, near Tol Himling, that a grave spirit wanders to and fro singing sad songs, and any who hear of them is moved to tears inconsolable for weeks afterwards. Much to my King’s confusion, I have sent out riders to attempt to ascertain the truth of this rumor--you told me your scouts had heard a similar one, long ago in Hyarrostar, did you not?--but so far, they have not found anything worth remarking upon. I should like to ride out myself and look. If it_ is _Him, he would emerge for me, I think.)_

_All the minutiae of life that seems so important day to day falls from my mind as soon as I sit down to write you._

_I have recalled a bit of news. I will use the word “cousin” here, for the sake of conservation of space, but you must remember the tales of Galadriel, our great-grandfather’s cousin; I believe this is our first cousin, thrice removed. She and her husband Celeborn have welcomed their first child (I believe that makes her our second cousin, twice removed? I shall have to consult more of the charts of Men, since the Eldar have far fewer children, and tend to simply call everyone “cousin”). The name they have released is Celebrían, which sounds rather fetching. I assume she takes after her father in coloring, given the epessë. They live in the faraway land of Lothlórien now under King Amroth, near Eryn Galen. Rarely do I venture so far from Lindon, as my King professes that he has great need of my presence._

_You would love him, Elros. I know you knew him, but if you had known him for as long as I have, in such close quarters, you could not help but to find him deeply impressive, as I do. He is the hope for our future--all of us, Elves and Men and even Dwarves. Should I not call him our shining star? I have not had such a fast friend in all counsels since you moved to Armenelos._

_What shall I do, with the time that has been granted to me? I recall a conversation with our cousin (in the Elven sense; only truly our cousin if They were our fathers) Celebrimbor, who now has closed his heart to us in favor of his new friend. But this was before, when we would often take counsel together. He told me I had chosen the path of pain and beauty all together, for to be of the Elder Children is to experience each day as new, whereas for men, such newness quickly fades. Men, he said, for he has often lived and worked alongside them, become quickly accustomed to each torture and pleasure in turn, and thusly grow weary of life by the time their appointed hour draws near. While this seemed very sad to me in my youth, I marvel at the adaptability and intelligence of the briefer children, and find myself seeking their wisdom, sometimes more often than I seek out the counsel of my own species._

_Nevertheless, I confess myself grateful that as your descendants are numbered as the Younger Children, mine will be counted amongst the Eldar. Already I have had too many farewells. And as Celebrimbor said, they seem fresh each time I remember them._

_With that said, I am thinking of you on this, our Begetting Day, my beloved brother. It has been one thousand years of the sun since I last heard your voice._

_It does not fade._

_Sleep well, Elros._

_Your loving brother,_

_Elrond_

_S.A. 1442_


	2. Chapter 2

**Note to Rhóvaleth, Archivist of Lindon, S.A. 1500:**

I was denied access to a portion of the library today. Apparently, my fifteen hundred twenty-six years of service to this Kingdom do not qualify me as wise or learned enough to access every part of our archives. Certainly there must have been a mistake. Please rectify this immediately.

**-Elrond, Herald of Lindon**

**Note to Elrond, Herald of Lindon, S.A. 1500:**

My apologies for the perceived slight, my lord. The documents in question are deemed to be of a sensitive nature to Eldar and Edain of a certain heritage, and therefore require special permission from the King to access them, by his own order. Given your fifteen hundred twenty-six years of service to His Majesty, perhaps you could endeavor to ask him about such a thing, rather than sending tart notes to the archivists.

**-Rhóvaleth, Archivist of Lindon**

**Note to Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor, S.A. 1500:**

As an unlearned child, I am bidden to send to my elders to request access to portions of the library. I assume I am deemed of level enough temperament to choose my own reading material, my King?

**-Elrond, Herald of Lindon**

**Note to Elrond, Herald of Lindon, S.A. 1500:**

Of course you may have access to anything in the library you desire.

Though I must say, I have not heard you lecture me quite so informally in years. Had I known all it would take was an extra trip to the archives, I might have done so years ago.

**-Ereinion**

**Note to Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor, S.A. 1500:**

Please send a more official note, so that I may give it to Rhóvaleth’s hand without embarrassing my King.

**-Elrond, Herald of Lindon**

**Most Official Missive to Rhóvaleth, Archivist of Lindon, by way of Elrond Peredhel, Herald of Lindon, S.A. 1500:**

Thusly by decree of the High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth, Elrond Peredhel is Hereby Granted access to anything in the library that he so wishes to read, at any time, from the receipt of this note until the realm of Lindon is no more or my death, upon which he will have to ask the next King a bit more nicely.

**-Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth**

**Note to Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth, S.A. 1500:**

Understood, Your Majesty. Shall I show him directly to the erotic poetry?

**-Rhóveleth, Archivist of Lindon**

**Note to Rhóvaleth, Archivist of Lindon, S.A. 1500:**

Was that what he was asking about?

**-Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth**

**Note to Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth, S.A. 1500:**

No, Your Majesty. My previous missive was an attempt at crude humor, to my embarrassment.

**-Rhóvaleth, Archivist of Lindon**

**Note to Rhóveleth, Archivist of Lindon, S.A. 1500:**

Make a note of the following change. Out of deference to the survivors and those affected, the songs, ballads, lays, books, and letters of Beleriand that primarily reference the heroic deeds of the House of Fëanor (excepting Celebrimbor of Eregion) during the First Age have been sequestered from the main library, only available to scribes and dedicated scholars. However, your request has merit.

The prohibition is hereby lifted. Apologies to the archivists who will need to reclassify and re-shelve all of the referenced materials.

**-Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor in Lindon**

**Addendum note:** Rhóveleth, any particular references to the eldest two Fëanorians from 500 F.A. through the War of Wrath must be approved by me, personally, before being relocated to the main library. Your discretion is appreciated.

**Note to Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth, S.A. 1501:**

Bluntly, Your Majesty, what exactly do I have to do to find the books that were recovered from Tol Ereb? My brother drew a picture in one of them of a plant I’ve been trying to identify. I deeply mislike being sent back to bother you again and again because Rhóvaleth thinks I am incapable of viewing so much as a missive that any of the Fëanorians wrote. What is it you fear I will see? I am the one who lived with them, after all.

**-Elrond, Herald of Lindon**

**Note to Elrond, Herald of Lindon, S.A. 1501:**

Be reasonable. The prohibition was to prevent anyone from gawking at your childhood as a matter of entertainment. And earlier, to prevent anyone who might have been injured by the Fëanorians from destroying your personal history. I’ll find the books and have them sent to your rooms. Do with them what you like. They belong to you, if anyone.

**-Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth, S.A. 1501**

**Note to Ereinion Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth, S.A. 1501:**

Thank you.

**-Elrond, Herald of Lindon**


	3. Chapter 3

**A letter, from Celebrían of Lothlórien, to Galadriel and Celeborn, Lord and Lady in Lothlórien, S.A. 1572:**

_My dearest Mother and Father,_

_Lindon is as lovely as you said, and more. Watching the boats depart from Mithlond gives me a feeling of longing and pleasure I had never thought possible. Though I know the world has changed and all is separate now, there are still some valorous Númenórean mariners who make the journey to Tol Eressëa, and return with glad tidings and a light in their eyes that gives me great joy to see. I cannot but help feel connected to the land of your birth, Mother, as though I could simply go for a visit and see all the legends and stories for myself. (Though I have no wish to cross the Grinding Ice from your stories--I do not mind that it was cleft by the Powers and is no longer passable!)_

_High King Gil-Galad is kind and decisive. It is odd, to see a King ruling by himself, with no Queen. Is it not odd, do you think? Mayhap it is only that I cannot imagine Father without you. I suppose King Amroth also has no Queen, but he wears his love and sadness writ plain when he gazes at the wood, and I see no such sorrow in High King Gil-Galad’s bright eyes._

_I am told by many that I have come at an inopportune time, as my distant cousin Elrond is away in Eregion, and otherwise I should have had speech of him. I know you wished for me to bring news of this kinsman, and I have indeed found many small bits of information, but I am unsure if it is what you would desire. Lord Elrond, they say, is kind and wise, and makes a name for himself as a healer of note. To the question you asked, no, it appears he has been ever faithful to High King Gil-Galad._

_Lord Círdan is much as you described him. There is something of him that puts me in mind of the songs you used to sing me, of your mother’s folk. He is very generous, and has told me much of the history and nature of these people. It seems mad that at one time, the Noldor were all one. I do long for the trees above me, but the sculptures here are quite breathtaking, and there are so many different peoples, mingling and speaking in fair tongues. I feel as if I have gone quite farther than to Lindon, but to another world instead!_

_Even here, there are few with Tree-Light in their eyes. They have all passed over the ocean, they say, save a few of the most stubborn. They say thus, and then see me, and avert their eyes--as if they are afraid of you, my dearest Mother!_

_Do you think there is a reason, in particular, that he has no Queen? High King Gil-Galad, I mean. There are many fair noble ladies here, as well as (I am certain) in Eregion, but he seems little drawn to social functions. He works constantly, and the crown seems quite heavy upon his head._

_There is a Midwinter festival tomorrow night. I will wear the blue and silver gown, with sapphires in my hair, and the slippers Elärwen wove me last summer._

_Please do not worry, Rúmil and Haldir were quite valiant upon the road, though there was little danger. This is a settled country, full of light and peace. I think next time I should easily make the journey myself, with little difficulty. Travel, I find, agrees with me!_

_With love and affection (and thanks for allowing me to travel to see my kin!),_

_Your daughter, Celebrían_


End file.
